Lee Miller, More than a Model
Miller photographed the chaos of war’s end in Europe, documenting major battles, the liberation of Paris, and the horrors of Dachau and Buchenwald.
Dressmaking Liberated American Women—Then Came the Men
The creation of bespoke clothing offered women a way to escape traditional middle-class expectations and gain unprecedented power, until men took over.
The USSR’s “Invisible Cuisine”
Unofficial cookbooks—handwritten recipes passed from kitchen to kitchen—provided their owners with social and cultural capital within the Soviet system.
Framing Degas
The French painter Edgar Degas was Impressionism’s most energetic and inventive frame designer.
How the Marshall Plan Sold Europe to Americans
Department-store bazaars let consumers see how glamorous and sophisticated imported goods could be. Ooh, la la!
America’s Domestic Gurus Are Bad Girls
Why do the pages of shelter magazines for women seem so pristine? The answer is not what you think, according to one scholar.
Did Allied Bombs Destroy German Morale?
With men mostly absent, women and children dominated a small city called Darmstadt. Then "fire night" came.
The Rise of Hollywood’s “Extra Girls”
They didn't have to do anything besides stand around and look pretty. At least, that was the myth the studios wanted the public to believe.
The Back-to-School Shopping Tradition in History
As more women went to college, department stores catered to them by setting up pop-up "college shops" every September.
When Statutory Rape Laws Led to Forced Marriages
In early 20th-century New York, men accused of "ruining" women under eighteen could avoid prosecution by marrying them.